


boyfriends

by Murf1307



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alex Summers is a Hot Mess, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Historically Appropriate Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Texts From Last Night, background Angel/Raven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 11:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6955453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murf1307/pseuds/Murf1307
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(631:) I demanded respect from my fuck buddy.  Drunk me is not fun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	boyfriends

The thing about going out with Raven, Angel, Sean, and Darwin, for Alex, was that they all wound up shitfaced.  Well, except Darwin, because he _couldn't_ , but heaven knows he drank as much as the rest of them, so it wasn't for lack of trying.

 

And, well, when Alex got shitfaced, he often said really, really embarrassing shit.

 

Waking up in the morning after one such night, he realized, abruptly, exactly what he'd said the night before.

 

  
_"Goddamnit, Darwin, if you're gonna keep fucking me, I want a little respect here._ "

 

It'd been over something stupid, like Darwin trying to cut him off from any more alcohol, but Sean, Raven and Angel had all been right there when he said it, and none of them had known.  Sean's mouth had nearly hit the floor, and Raven had started laughing her ass off.  Angel had patronizingly patted his shoulder and said something about nobody respecting someone who puts out _before_  the first date.

 

Fuck.  This was bad.

 

He and Darwin, well -- they were something.  Something good, actually, because they worked together as well as they did, and had each other's backs, and the sex was phenomenal.  Alex wasn't gonna throw a wrench into that just because he was desperately in love with his best friend, right?  Right?

 

Well, apparently drunk him hadn't gotten the memo.

 

Interrupting his thoughts was a knock on his bedroom door.

 

"Alex?"  Oh god.  It was Darwin.  "Alex, hotshot, I've got coffee."

 

Way to his heart, that one.  Alex took a deep breath, and went over to the door, opening it slowly.  "Um, hi."

 

Darwin indeed had coffee, and even the pounding in his head seemed to lessen a little just with Darwin around, as nervous as it made him.

 

"So, you okay?" Darwin asked, and the concern on his face made Alex sure that he wasn't talking about the hangover.

 

Alex shrugged.  He couldn't lie.  "I, uh.  Kinda fucked up, didn't I?"

 

"Well, I mean, the others were kind of surprised, but I wouldn't say anybody didn't take it well, so..."  Darwin shrugged back.  "Mind if I come in?"

 

Alex stepped back from the door.  "Sure."  

 

Darwin came in.  "I know you didn't want people to know, that's all.  You know I'm cool with people knowing."

 

"Yeah, I know."  Alex scratched the back of his neck, sighing.

 

Darwin set the coffee down on the desk near the door.  "I gotta ask, though," he said, clearly teasing, "Are you feeling at all disrespected in our relationship?"

 

Alex couldn't help but laugh a little.  "No, I'm fine.  You're -- very respectful."

 

And Darwin was -- he kept things between them because that's what Alex wanted.  He didn't push too hard when they were okay, and he didn't make Alex talk about his feelings.  He made Alex feel safe, and that was the most important thing.

 

"Good."  Darwin stepped closer to him, the teasing slipping off his face.  "I wanna know, y'know, if I'm doing something wrong."  He took Alex's hands in his and squeezed, gently.

 

Alex looked down at their joined hands and blushed.  "I know that," he murmured.

 

Darwin nodded.  "So.  How do you wanna handle the others knowing?"

 

"Well, uh."  Alex bit his lip.  "I guess we don't have to be as careful, y'know?"  

 

"As long as you're comfortable with that."  Darwin squeezed his hands again.  "If you're more comfortable keeping this private, we can still do that."

 

"How?  You know how they are."

 

Darwin shrugged.  "We keep doing what we're already doing and don't answer any of their questions."

 

Alex shook his head.  "I dunno.  I guess --"

 

He _wants_  to be with Darwin, for real, and doesn't know how to ask for that.

 

"So you're okay with this?  With them knowing?"  Darwin asks, quietly.

 

"Yeah."

 

* * *

 

It's okay, really.  Sean claps his shoulder and says, very seriously, that he is a lucky, lucky man, and also that he's dead if he breaks Darwin's heart, which is weird, and Raven gives him a hug, but besides that, nobody asks any questions at breakfast.

 

It's lunchtime when things started to get weird.

 

He was eating a sandwich with Angel, who had been giving him these _looks_  all day, like she's trying to figure out what the hell is going on with him.

 

Then Darwin swung into the kitchen, smiling when he saw Alex.  As he passed by, he leaned in and kissed Alex's cheek before getting some water from the sink.  He didn't say anything, just drank his glass of water in one pull and headed back outside where he and Hank were working on something.

 

Angel made a sympathetic noise at Alex's expression.

 

"I'm guessing you didn't anticipate that kind of thing?" She asked.

 

Alex shook his head and touched his cheek where the ghost of the kiss still lingered.  "No," he admitted.  "That's not -- that's not stuff we usually do."

 

Angel raised her eyebrows.  "You don't kiss?"

 

"Not like that."  Alex sighed.  "It's not -- we're not --"

 

"It's just a sex thing, then?"

 

"Yeah.  Or, at least, I thought --"  Alex shook his head again.  "Yeah.  It's a sex thing.  We're good at it."

 

Angel wrinkled her nose.  "Please don't go into detail."

 

"Ange."  He looked at her dubiously.

 

She shrugged.  "The less I have to think about guys and sex, the happier I am.  Lesbian, remember?"

 

Right, now he did.  She'd admitted to that last night.

 

"So, how's things with Raven?"  Was it a really bad attempt to change the topic?  Yes, probably.  Did he care?  No.

 

"Oh, shut up," Angel said.  "We're talking about _your_  gay thing, not mine."

 

Alex rolled his eyes.  "There isn't exactly anything to say, Angel.  We're a thing.  A sex thing.  And it works."

 

"So why did you act like you'd seen a ghost when he kissed you?"

 

"Because again, that's not -- we don't do that.  That's not something we do."

 

Angel looked at him measuringly.  "Is it something you _want_ , though?"

 

He looked away, inhaling.  "Yeah, it is."

 

"So this is a good thing."  Angel took a pause.  "Does he know?"

 

"Are you crazy?  He's not -- I can't take that risk."  He exhales slowly.  "What if he's just, y'know, affectionate in general?  What if he doesn't mean it?"

 

"You're gonna drive _yourself_  crazy if you keep up this fuckbuddy thing you have going with him when you really want to be his boyfriend."

 

Alex looked back at her.  "That's other thing.  I -- I'm not sure how okay with that I'd be."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I don't know if I'm ready to take that risk.  Being a guy's boyfriend."  He sighed again.  "It's safe enough in here, but.  The world's kind of a shitty place for people like us."

 

"Alex," Angel said, "I'm only gonna say this once.  You're a gay mutant who's fucking a black man with a Spanish name.  You being his _boyfriend_  or not isn't gonna matter."

 

Alex looked at her.  "I know that.  I just -- I feel like if it's.  Official?  I guess..."

 

"That makes it real, or some shit?"  Angel looked at him dubiously again.  "Newsflash, Alex: it's already real, whether you want it to be or not, and you can't lead him on if you're gonna be a coward about what he means to you."  She stood up and walked over to Alex, almost glaring.  "So don't be a coward.  You were talking about respect last night -- you owe him enough of that to be honest with him.   _Tell him._ "

 

And with that, she left the kitchen.

 

Alex put his face in his hands, swallowing awkwardly.  He couldn't do that.  Darwin was -- Darwin was already so good to him.  He couldn't risk this thing they had just because he wanted more.

 

Could he?

 

* * *

 

Angel's words hung in Alex's mind all day.  That night, in the rec room, he was sitting on the floor, his head on Darwin's thigh as the two of them watched the mansion's TV.  

 

Darwin laughed at something on the screen, and Alex ached to touch him, to be _with_ him.

 

So, instead of just sitting there and waiting until they go to bed to pull Darwin close, he shifted, turning toward Darwin before climbing onto the couch with him, slotting himself in between Darwin's thighs on his knees.  He paused, looking down at Darwin.

 

Darwin looked back up at him with a flicker of confusion on his face, but he grinned, teasing.  "Hey, hotshot.  Want something?"

 

Alex leaned in and kissed him, and Darwin laughed into his mouth, hands coming up to settle on Alex's lower back.  It felt good, and Alex wasn't thinking, for once, about being walked in on.

 

The others knew.  He could have this.  He _knew_  this was something he could do.

 

Not like the rest of it.  That, still wasn't sure of.

 

When they pulled back for air, Darwin's smiling up at him.  "Now, I'm not complaining, but what brought this on?"

 

"I wanted to."  It was that simple.  "And I -- I kinda thought you'd like it."

 

"Alex, honey, please, feel free to do this any time you want."  Darwin squeezed Alex's waist a little.

 

Alex blushed at the endearment.  "Yeah?"

 

"Yeah."

 

Alex kissed him again, just for a second.  "I...you kissed me, at lunch."

 

Darwin nodded, frowning a little.  "Was that bad?"

 

"No," Alex said, shaking his head.  "I just...wasn't expecting it.  I didn't...I didn't think that was a thing we did."

 

"Do you want me not to?"

 

Alex shook his head.  "No, I -- I liked it.  A lot.  I want that."

 

"Okay."  Darwin leaned up and kissed his cheek.  "You sure?"

 

"Absolutely."  Alex nodded.  He took a deep breath.  "Um.  What do _you_  want, though?"  He flushed.  "Out of this, I mean."

 

Darwin hummed, kissing Alex's cheek again.  "You know me, Alex.  I'm down for anything."

 

"That's not...there's gotta be something you want."  Did it matter, otherwise?  Did any of what they did together matter if Darwin would be completely fine with them stopping?

 

"I...hotshot, I don't want to ask you to do anything you're not cool with."  

 

Alex shook his head.  "That's what I'm trying to tell you.  That I -- I'm cool with more.  If you want it too, I mean."

 

"What do you mean?" Darwin asked, and Alex could see the nervousness in his eyes.

 

"What I mean, is that I.  I really, really like you."  He flushed.  "Like.  I don't want this to just be a sex thing anymore.  If you're down for that."

 

Darwin's eyes widened, and for a second, Alex was terrified he'd misjudged, that he'd overstepped.

 

Then, Darwin smiled, practically beamed at him.  "You saying you want to be my boyfriend or something?"  The question was teasing, and Alex blushed even more.

 

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."  Alex smiled back.  "Is that cool?"

 

"The coolest, hotshot."  Darwin brought his hands up to cup Alex's face, and he tugged him down for another kiss.

 

It was perfect.


End file.
